West Bank's Key Route 465 Set for Major Expansion to Strengthen Settlements

After years of planning, the regional planning council responsible for construction projects in Judea and Samaria has approved the expansion of Route 465, also known as the "Cross-Binyamin" road. This major east-west artery will be doubled in size, marking a significant infrastructural and settlement strengthening move in the West Bank. The road begins at the Givat Koach junction on Route 444 near Elad and Rosh HaAyin, runs eastward through the Rantis checkpoint and Beit Aryeh, crosses several junctions in western Binyamin, and ends at Route 60 near the settlement of Ofra.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich hailed the decision as a "tremendous breakthrough" for Binyamin residents and a key milestone in the road revolution across Judea and Samaria. He contrasted this development with former military leaders who advocated for uprooting settlements and establishing a Palestinian state, emphasizing that this expansion is an act of fortifying the settlements.

Israel Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council, described the project as a clear message to the Palestinian Authority, which he accused of corruption and encouraging terrorism. He stated that the expansion ends the "distorted and absurd dream of a Palestinian state" through settlement development. Gantz also noted that Route 465 will become a highway connecting central Israel to the Jordan Valley, enabling fast and safe travel from Shoham and Ben Gurion Airport to Jerusalem in the coming years.